The Legend of Zelda: The Four Sacred Winds Book Two--The Hero of Life
by Lheticus
Summary: To absolve her of her use of forbidden Fairy magic, Mila agrees to take on a quest to become the Hero of Life, ordained by the Golden Goddesses themselves. However, what starts as a mere test of courage quickly becomes much more. To even survive, much less fulfill her quest, Mila will have to face perils the likes of which even Farore herself could not foresee...
1. Prologue--This Is Your Life

The Legend of Zelda: The Four Sacred Winds

Book Two-The Hero of Life, Prologue: Mila of Windfall, This Is Your Life

Above the Great Sea-Sector B3

Mila was flying above the Great Sea, trapped in a magical orb of light and unable to move or change its course, which was headed straight for Mother Isle. This meant trouble, since the island's unique geography made it effectively an impenetrable valley that could only be reached from the sky. The spell carrying her through the air would serve well enough to bring her inside, but getting out again was a problem she was not at all confident she could solve-especially since the one taking her there was the Fairy Queen-the most powerfully magical entity in the Great Sea, and Rila suspected well beyond.

All she could do was reflect on events so far. She'd grown strong when the rumors of a new, powerful Forsaken Fortress overlord had reached the shores of her home, Windfall Island, but then an attack came from an unexpected direction-a second sinister presence known as Saligula wormed his way into the island and nearly succeeded in taking it completely over. She managed to rescue all the other island children, and formed them into the Killer Bees Windfall Island Resistance. She managed to win a few small victories, but it still seemed so hopeless...until Aryll, an Outset Islander she had met during traumatic events three years ago arrived with a swordarm-for-hire that apparently knew Aryll's brother somehow called Linebeck. Aryll figured out the weakness of Saligula's minions, Poes that he'd called Vice-Roys. Mila felt extreme shame at this-she had been too afraid of the Vice-Roys to deduce that sunlight would make them vulnerable. She had vowed to herself to never let fear cloud her judgment ever again after that, but she had used a fairy spell to expose the Poes in the course of driving away Saligula-and that had gotten the attention of the Fairy Queen, who informed her that it was forbidden for Hylians to use Fairy magic.

She had delayed sentencing Mila until Saligula had been driven from Windfall, but not a second longer. The light orb she was flying in had materialized around her the instant she, Aryll, and Linebeck had escaped Saligula's crumbling tower-she wasn't even given time to say goodbye. Somehow, she had to escape, because Saligula had been rescued by the new overlord of Forsaken Fortress, a figure even more sinister than Saligula, calling himself Demon Lord Ghirahim. Mila felt that they would surely form an alliance of some kind and was worried that together, they would prove too much for Aryll and Linebeck to handle. She could not afford to remain as the Fairy Queen's prisoner-or worse.

Soon, Mila touched down at the center of Mother Isle, and the orb vanished, as it was no longer needed. Now able to move, Mila scrambled to the nearest cliff wall. The Fairy Queen appeared again. "By Farore above...you're not actually going to try and climb the cliff? Even if you managed to find enough holds, you could get most of the way up and slip and fall to your doom with the slightest mistake! And even if you did get to the top, you'd have to climb down the other side. Your chances of surviving would be something like thousands to one!"

"I don't care," said Mila, looking for and failing to find any place for her hands to get purchase on the cliff wall. "I can't stay here. My life has taught me when there's something you can do to improve life, whether it's a single life or family like my own by hard work, or an entire kingdom of lives by defeating a great evil, you should do it-and if you don't, you're a coward or worse. I can help Aryll and Linebeck again, just like I did on Windfall. There's no way I'm staying a prisoner here, no matter what!"

Mila changed tactics, trying to get a running start, but the Fairy Queen loosed a bolt of magic at her which froze her in place before she started running. "Your words intrigue me, girl. You would speak to the Fairy Queen, the High Priestess of the great Goddess Farore herself, of matters of life and courage-the very elements of the deity I serve? You are one interesting mortal. Very well, I will give you a chance. I will convene the Court of the Fey. You see, there is one exception to our custom of forbidding Hylians from using Fairy magic. Our laws state that only the Hylian who has earned the title "Hero of Life" will be allowed to use such spells. However, to take on this quest, you must be approved by a majority of Great Fairies. And...if you fail to convince them of your courage, I'm afraid your sentence will be increased. You will be transmuted to the size of a bottle fairy so that your forbidden spells will no longer be usable. With that in mind...do you still wish for me to summon the Court of the Fey?" She loosed another bolt of magic, and Mila's paralysis vanished.

"Yes," said Mila, "after what I said just now, if I backed down I wouldn't just be a coward, but a hypocrite as well. I could never forgive myself." At this answer, the Fairy Queen shot another ray of magic at her. "I'll need to remove the limits on my power to summon the Court, and...your fledgling magic sense would be overwhelemed just by my presence, so I've gotten rid of it for a few hours. All right...here I go!" She threw her Great Fairy Doll high in the air, and it flashed with brilliance that would've blinded Mila if she'd been looking right at it. In the same instant, the Fairy Queen grew taller, but not higher, and her clothing changed slightly to a metallic green priestess robe that flowed like liquid steel. She was now as imposing physically as she was magically. She spoke, and her mildly squeaky and childish voice was gone utterly, replaced by one of full maturity and layered with wisdom of ages and magical power beyond fathoming. "Fairies of the Great Sea, hear me! I call upon the Court of the Fey! Convene to me!"

No sooner was it said than done. All seven of the Great Sea's Great Fairies appeared at their queen's side in an instant. Mila was struck with an involuntary trembling that she quickly shook off-most people were lucky to behold a single Great Fairy in their whole lifetime, and here there were seven of them at the same time! She could not identify any of them by name or station, only that there were two blue ones, two pink ones, two yellow ones, and one violet one. The violet one was evidently the leader, for she was the one who addressed the Queen. "My queen, the call has been answered. For what reason do you summon us?"

"You are all charged with passing judgment on this mortal, who has violated sacred fairy law, dabbling in forbidden magics. You must take measure of her worthiness to undergo Farore's Sacred Trials. I will depart to the First Wellspring, to contain my power and observe, so that you shall decide without interference."

Most of the Great Fairies made nervous chittering noises-Mila guessed they were in some kind of secret Fairy language. The violet Great Fairy was an exception-she only bowed and said "It is understood, my queen." The Queen Fairy turned into a multitude of colored sparkles at these words and disappeared into the fountain at the epicenter of Mother Isle.

"All right girls," said the Violet Great Fairy when the Queen had gone. "This is a tall order our queen has given us, so we'll need to all work together. Worthiness to undergo Farore's Trials...I believe the ancient texts say that the measure of that worthiness is courage."

"Naturally," said one of the Pinks, "I mean, they ARE Farore's trials. Not much else would make sense, her being the Goddess of Courage, after all."

"But the question is this," said a Yellow, "How do we go about actually measuring it?"

"Perhaps the best way would be to examine her, and her memories-determine in full truth what she has learned from her experiences, how they have shaped her, what made her into what she now is, to get better insight into what she now indeed is," said a Blue.

"Hmm...that would be a start, certainly," said the Violet. "Girl, do you consent to the opening of your mind-your memories, your life so far, laid bare before this Court?"

"I do consent, ma'm," said Mila, bowing respectfully, "but...it's Mila, if...if that's all right."

The Violet chuckled. "Very will...Mila. Stare with your full attention on the glow that appears before you." An orb of light materialized right in front of Mila, and she followed the instruction. It was a dim light, but very interesting, so she had no trouble complying. In fact, she started to suspect at this point that she wouldn't now be able to look away if she wanted to...and an instant later, she fell fully into a trance. The orb expanded, becoming much larger, and showing a projection that began going through every last one of Mila's memories. Mila was aware, as a consciousness and soul, of everything that was shown on the orb projector, but was unable to register much else, look away, or otherwise move, for the spell had seized her actual mind completely, and would not let it go until the Court had finished.

Fortunately, they were moving through the thought stream of Mila's memories extremely quickly-effectively viewing in a few hours what actually took place over nearly sixteen years, retaining it all magically so not an instant of those years went unabsorbed by any of them. To Mila, however, it was nothing but a confusing blur barely even recognizable as her life. _They say your life flashes before your eyes when you're about to die,_ thought Mila's consciousness while the rest of her was helpless and inert, I just hope this is going to be an exception.

The sun was low in the sky when the Court finished at last. Mila came out of her trance as the memory orb faded, feeling oddly refreshed, as though she'd slept for twice as long as she'd been under the orb's effects. "My," said Violet, "A most interesting set of experiences. The Queen was right to take an interest in you, clearly. In fact, we all have gained much more information from your life than we'd thought possible. All in favor of coming to a vote immediately?"

At these words, seven beautiful golden braziers materialized, one in front of each Great Fairy. They were three times taller than any brazier Mila had ever seen, and more enchanting and glorious than any in her father's former collection. After a slight deliberation, each of those torches became lit one by one, the color of their flames matching the color of the Great Fairy controlling them. "A unanimous decision," said the Violet, "very well. We will deliver the verdict when the Queen returns."

As soon as that sentence was spoke, the Fairy Queen returned, this time back in her child form-for her own benefit, Mila rightly guessed, noticing that a lot of time had now passed-and even without that, she had felt the return of her Fairy sense. "Proceed with the verdict, my Court," said the Queen, and the first of the Court on the far left, a Pink, floated forward slightly. "She is a fascinating mortal, my Queen," she said, "from the least humble of beginnings and an equally tragic fall from grace, she has learned much, including, I believe, courage. I say that this mortal has the potential to become the Hero of Life." At these words, that Great Fairy's brazier sprang to life, a brilliant pink flame bursting forth.

Next to her, one of the Yellows came forward. "The words spoke so far have merit, and Mila has indeed performed valorous deeds these recent days. But do these deeds in fact prove the presence of true courage? I say they do not...and there were many things I saw in her that further call her courage into question. I say that this mortal does not have the potential." When she was finished, the Yellow's flame alighted as well-but it was much smaller, and colored a pure, melancholy black. Mila quivered-she was rapidly losing her nerve.

Next, the Blue between the Violet and the Yellow floated forth. "While it is indeed true that great deeds do not necessarily presume courage, it is also true that courage necessarily presumes great deeds. Courage that has not been tested is invisible to the point of practical non-existence. Well, this mortal's courage has been tested, and I find it far from wanting. I say this mortal has the potential." A blue flame burst from her brazier, and she floated back. Mila sighed with relief.

"Well I say her courage IS wanting," said the Blue on the Violet's left, "did neither of you see what I saw? When her island was taken, she scurried around like a baseless rodent and had all her followers do the same. This does not seem as courage to me-in fact it is the opposite! I say this mortal does not have the potential." What nerve Mila had regained from the previous vote vaporized along with nearly all of the rest of it.

"I DID see what you saw," said the Yellow on the opposite side, "and apparently I saw it on a much deeper level than you did. Her scurrying was no cowardice, and neither was her balking at the enhanced Poes. They are extremely uncommon monsters-no more than a fifth of the world has heard of them, and fewer have seen them. While it may not demonstrate perfect courage to fear the unknown, neither does it demonstrate cowardice. I say this mortal has the potential." A yellow flame erupted from her brazier, and she yielded the floor to the Pink on the tail end of the Court.

"You say that her actions do not demonstrate perfect courage," she began, "and yet you still vote in her favor? Is it not perfect courage that is in fact required to face Farore's Trials? Your logic is sound, but not your conclusion. I say this mortal does not have the potential." A third small black flame flickered forth.

Mila's heart had been sinking around the middle of the third vote, and now, it was undeniably at rock bottom. Her legs gave way, collapsing her to her knees and a torrent of trembles she had been mentally damming back broke through that dam, causing minor hyperventilations and a few tears that she could no longer hold back. _ Not only am I going to be shrunk to the size of a fairy,_ she thought, _but I won't be able to help Aryll and Linebeck and...I'll never see them again!_ She could no longer hold back her tears at all at this thought, dissolving into sobs that were silent at first, but eventually became audible. _ I'll never see Aryll again...I'll never see Father or Maggie or any of the former Resistance or any of the others again! I'm about to lose my home...these fairies may as well go ahead and take my life instead. In fact...it'd be BETTER to die than to suffer what's coming...once I'm shrunk, the first chance I get...the Great Sea can take me._ "It's over...oh great Goddesses...why oh why like this?" she accidentally said aloud.

The Violet, who had been silently shaking her head while she telepathically observed this breakdown, now allowed a single tear to issue from her right eye, which then flowed down her cheek and dripped from her face, expanding and solidifying as it fell into a crystal clear, teardrop shaped gem. The Fairy Queen discreetly made it disappear and materialize in her hand. "All of you see this," said the Violet, "this girl, so full of iron will-and this trait cannot be denied no matter the truth of her courage-reduced to this sight. It is by our hand that this has occurred-never has this Court been so divided, never has a decision even reached a point requiring my own vote be cast, and in truth, every single one of the arguments I have heard has had deep flaws. I could expound on each of them, but I desire to cease Mila's suffering, and such exposition would prolong it. I am deeply ashamed of us all. And so, here is my own argument. It is true that only one with perfect or near perfect courage is worthy to become the Hero of Life, or indeed, to gain any of the Hero titles the great Goddesses see fit to bestow. However, arguing against Mila's right to attempt this quest on the basis that her courage has yet to reach this level ignores the entirety of the quest's purpose. As it was said, courage only has meaning if it is tested. The true purpose of Farore's Sacred Trials is to test new, invisible courage, not confirm what courage is already obvious. I say this mortal does have the potential."

Her light burst forth on her brazier, a beautiful shade of violet and larger than any of the other votes for. To Mila, it would have been extremely beautiful even without what it represented, and with that representation it was the most beautiful sight she felt she would ever behold.


	2. Chapter 1--To Leave Her Past Behind

The Legend of Zelda: The Four Sacred Winds

Book Two-The Hero of Life, Chapter I: To Leave Her Past Behind

"It is done, my Queen," said the Violet, and the Court of the Fey prepared to depart, but the Fairy Queen resumed her full power form. Mila's Fairy sense had been temporarily short-circuited by her recent stress, so she was not overwhelmed. "Stop," said the Queen, holding out a hand in the standard gesture to that effect, magical power emanating from it that rippled the very air around her. "While the Court presented their decision, the great Goddess Farore held me in conference...Her disappointment in you all runs deeper than the Great Sea itself. You have neglected her teachings on the true nature of Courage to an unconscionable degree-your arguments were all flawed because your method of evaluation, examining Mila's life so far and doing nothing else, was woefully insufficient."

Mila had never seen such powerful forces of magic so cowed-and neither had anyone else in all Hyrule's history. "Mila..." continued the Fairy Queen, "I regret I must say that the Court has raised Farore's ire. While it is undeniably so that none of the Great Goddesses are ever required to prove anything to lesser magical beings, the Court of the Fey has...irritated Farore, and so she has decided to do so anyway. To lay bare the truth of the Court's botched judgment, she will add an additional layer to her Trials. As memories are not the true source of courage, she will be removing yours when you arrive at the location of the trials. However, in the interest of balance, the Goddess Farore will offer an additional reward should you succeed in claiming the Hero title." She held out the gemstone that was the Great Fairy's Tear. "This is an extremely potent magical artifact, with value beyond price. If you accept the additional stakes, putting up your memories alongside your freedom, Farore will see fit to entrust it to you. Will you accept this additional bargain, Mila?"

By this point, Mila had at last regained her composure. "I think I need to know a little bit more about it first," she said, "for starters, I'd like more details on the extent of my stake-to just what extent my memories will be taken. Will I be losing skills? I mean, technically if I remember absolutely nothing I would be as an infant-needing to relearn how to walk, much less wield a sword."

"Only memories relating to your identity and experience will be put up," said the Queen, "your body will retain all its skills, including swordplay, and even your limited Fairy magic. In addition, you will retain all academic knowledge independent of your heritage-science and mathematics, for example, will be retained, while literature and lore will not. Social and practical knowledge, such as etiquette and the ability to discern danger will be retained or made part of the stakes on the same basis-in essence, if a memory does not give you a significant clue as to who you are or where you came from, you will keep it. Is this a sufficient answer?"

"Yes ma'm," said Mila, but I have two more questions. First, I'd like to know more about the extra reward the Goddess is putting up, and then...you seemed to imply that I could still back out, is this true?"

The Fairy Queen gave a slight bow. "The Great Fairy's Tear is a rare and useful tool for users of Fairy magic. It is a peerless medium for amplification of that magic-spells are easier to cast and have increased effects when the Tear is used as a magical focus. It has one additional power, which I may reveal to you only once you complete Farore's Trials since it is one of the most closely guarded Fairy secrets-incidentally, all the answers I am giving you now, you will forget along with your other memories. Also, you will forget why you agreed to the quest-Farore will ensure that circumstances conspire to get you to accept the quest anyway, even with your memories gone. I apologize for forgetting this detail.

As for your second question, it is not quite true as you phrased it. You have to accept the quest, from the moment the Court decided you could. However, Farore in her mercy is allowing you to not put up your memories and undertake her Trials with no added conditions, if you so choose. Are you ready to decide now? Are you satisfied with my answers?"

"I am satisfied with the answers, ma'm," said Mila, bowing, "but...I could use some time to think about it."

"Done," said the Fairy Queen, "My Court, Farore has ordained that all of you must spend the next century in repentance and dilligent study of her teachings. You are adjourned."

The Court of the Fey went from cowed, to crestfallen, to dutiful acceptance, to returning from whence they came. The sun was nearly fully set by the time Mila at last made her decision. "Ma'm...I've been thinking a lot about what you said-that the Goddess Farore says that memories are not the source of courage. Then, there was some of the Court of the Fey that said that stuff about courage being meaningless unless tested. If these are both true, then...all that will happen if I give up my memories for this quest is that the courage in me that's been tested so far will just lose a bit of meaning for a while, then get back even more meaning. That doesn't sound so horrible...so I accept."

The Fairy Queen extended Mila her arm. "Very well. Take my hand, Mila, and I will take you to the entrance to your quest." Mila took the hand of the Fairy Queen, and she once again vanished into multicolored sparks-only this time, Mila did as well. She was completely unaware of the rest of the journey. The Fairy Queen took her deep below the Mother Isle fountain...deeper and deeper and deeper, deeper even than Old Hyrule at the depths of the Great Sea, into a vast underground river. Further and further upstream they went, until they emerged from the water into an underground cavern. To Mila, it seemed she had simply vanished from Mother Isle and reappeared here. "This is the First Wellspring," said the Queen, indicating a pool of water in the center of the cave. Mila noticed the cave was lit, but there were no torches-the water itself seemed to be illuminating the area. In the center of the pool, water bubbled up before splashing back down again at various intensities-one moment it was barely roiling, the next it was almost a geyser. "Save for where you will be going next, this is the most sacred ground of the Fairy people. All magic in the mortal realm begins right here. The water flows straight up, from miles deep, and with such a formidable current that not even I would be able to reach the bottom with my most powerful magic. None but the Great Goddesses know what lies beyond."

The Queen passed Mila an empty bottle. "Use this to drink of these sacred waters, and you will be transported to the Feyrealm-the true setting of your quest. Mila, though not without misgivings, dipped the bottle into the spring. Suddenly, Mila was overcome by an urge to do an "Item Get" pose similar to what she'd seen Aryll do when they'd met on Windfall Island. She also heard a voice, "You put Sacred Spring Water in your bottle! It glows eerily...you really have to drink this?" Mila's eyes darted from side to side, trying to find any place anyone could be to have said that. "So it's started already," said the Queen, "don't worry about it much-it's a sort of side effect that happens to every Hylian who goes on a journey to become a Hero. Completely harmless."

"Okay, I suppose..." said Mila, then, raising the bottle of Sacred Spring Water to her lips, "bottoms up. Wish me luck." The water felt very warm as it touched her lips, but it was also incredibly delicious-she downed the bottle's worth of it in one gulp. For two seconds, nothing happened. "So, how does this work, is it like a telep-AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Mila's eyes widened and she fell to her knees and clutched her skull, experiencing the worst migrane she had had in her entire life-and she'd once been sick for two weeks with the Rito Flu. Then suddenly the pain was gone and Mila found herself on an extremely crude raft with neither sail nor oars on what looked like a part of the Great Sea not far offshore from a large, inhabited island. The skies were gray with clouds, and there was a light rain and a distant rumble of thunder. She hoped the weather did not worsen-if it did, she would be metaphorically up a creek and literally without a paddle.

Suddenly, a voiced filled Mila's mind. She hadn't thought it was possible that a voice could display more magical power than the Fairy Queen's, but this one did. "Mila of Windfall...you who seek to become the Hero of Life...we are the Goddess Farore. We thank you, for you are the first ever to make this attempt. And now...you must swim." Out of nowhere, a lighting bolt struck the raft with uncharacteristic lack of ceremony-not to mention the total absence of thunder. It reduced the raft to splinters and sent Mila flying several yards into the Great Sea. Fortunately, it had launched her in the direction of the island, and the distance between Mila and the shore was now feasible to swim. She began, and somehow her mind could not even focus on anything but this task. _Gotta get to shore...gotta get to shore..._she thought, as her memory slipped away with every stroke. _Where am I...? Can't worry about that now...gotta keep going..._ More and more, the lake of memories of her past and purpose drained from her.

At last, she swam onto solid sand. She was incredibly tired, but managed to crawl for about a minute to get beyond the tide line. _Won't die now, I guess...there's people here. I wonder who they are...and...for that matter...who am I?_ With that, she tilted her head so she wouldn't get sand in her mouth, and slept off her exhaustion.


	3. Chapter 2--Cindy-Relley

AUTHOR'S NOTE: All the views on the first book and no REviews? Come on guys, throw me a bone here. (That applies to this book too, when people feel there is enough of it TO review.)

The Legend of Zelda: The Four Sacred Winds

Book Two-The Hero of Life, Chapter II: Cindy-relley

"Shh...she's coming around."

The stranger was indeed coming around. The first thing she noticed was that she had been moved from the beach to a warm bed. The second was that the bed was being looked over by a trio of girls who looked very like biological sisters. The third was that these girls looked very beautiful, and ordinary except for unusual variances in skin pigmentation-one was red-skinned, one blue, and one yellow, but the coloration was not deep on any of them, so it was more like they were just ordinary girls whose skin was merely dyed with the aforementioned pigments. This would be a plausible thing except for another out of the ordinary feature they all shared-each had a set of large, beautifully ornate gossamer wings on their backs.

"Please don't be alarmed, Hylian...we mean you no harm. You didn't look very comfy there in the in the sand," said the yellow girl, "we're the Honored Fairy Sisters. My name is Ciela."

"My name is Leaf," said the red girl.

"And...I'm Neri..." said the blue girl, who seemed more shy than her sisters. In any case, the stranger would have had to try very hard to be alarmed or afraid-the sisters voices were naturally soothing-or was it magically soothing? The girl in the bed smiled at them. "Thank you so much...this bed is very comfortable. My name is...is...I...it seems I don't know."

The sisters exchanged looks of concern. "Seriously?" said Leaf, "Is...can you tell us what you do remember?"

"I remember plenty of things," said the Hylian girl, "but...completely nothing about who I am, where I'm from, or where I've been. Or...where I am now, for that matter."

"Amnesia...how horrible," said Neri, shaking her head, "What could have happened..."

"Well in any case, you looked like you'd swam till your strength gave out," said Ciela, "and you got a lot of sand on you when you collapsed. Don't worry about the bed, we hardly ever use this bed anyway. But now, we really should get you cleaned up." She smiled at this, and so did the stranger girl. Ciela took her by the hand and walked her over to a spotlessly clean bathroom with a magnificent shower with gossamer pattern curtains. "Leave those rags of yours by the door dear," said Leaf, "and we'll give them a good cleaning too. We'd much rather give you better clothes, but we have nothing to fit a Hylian." Indeed, the girl had nothing on her at all save those rags-not a piece of equipment, item, or rupee to her name.

"Hylian...I'm a...'Hylian'?" The girl tried desperately to reach out to some faint wisp of a memory that the word might trigger, but to no avail. The sisters left, and the stranger followed their instructions. She needed no assistance to work the taps-it seemed she had a full trove of memories and knowledge that had nothing to do with her identity or heritage. This puzzled her, but she saw no reason to worry about it now. Indeed, showering required her full attention. She remembered nothing that happened to her before she awoke in the Honored Fairy Sisters' bed, but she could tell from observation that she'd had a very rough time recently-her entire body was caked in sand, salt water, and seaweed. It took a long time and three lathers, rinses, and repeats to get all the sea grime out of her body and hair, but this meant that by the time she'd dried herself and brushed her now clean hair, her ragged clothes had been returned, clean as well.

The stranger girl dressed herself and stepped out. The sisters gasped upon seeing her cleaned up appearance. "She's so beautiful...even in those rags..." said Neri.

The stranger blushed. "Thank you so much for your kindness," she said with a deep bow. "If there is anything I can do to repay it...I don't know who I am, but from these rags I'm guessing I was some sort of servant girl, so if there's any chores or cleaning I could do for you..."

"I think we can find something if you insist," said Leaf, "but first...I know you don't remember your name, but we need to call you by SOME name or another..."

"You know, said Ciela, "the whole fact that she's so pretty, even in such pauper rags-it reminds me of an old human story."

"Human? Said the stranger, confused, "don't you mean Hylian?"

"No, I don't, I mean...never mind, it's Fairy business. But the story is called 'Cinderella', and you remind me a lot of the title character at the start of the story."

"You think we should call her Cinderella?" said Leaf, "I dunno, it seems..."

"...A mouthful," finished Neri.

"Hmm...good point," said Ciela, "I've got it! How about Cindy?"

"Much better," said Leaf, and Neri nodded.

"Thank you so much," said Cindy, beaming, "it'll be so much easier to talk to people if I can tell them a name, even if it's not my real one."

"You're welcome!" said Leaf, "I just remembered the basement floor needs scrubbing, if you were serious before."

"I was. I'll get started right away," said Cindy, bowing and heading that way. Leaf brought her the scrubbing brush and soap, but Cindy seemed confused. "Huh? That's odd...I knew how to use the shower before, but...I don't seem to have any memories to do with scrubbing floors."

Leaf clapped her hands and smiled, "You CAN'T have been a servant girl then! You know...I'm starting to think you should go see the First Honored Fairy. There MUST be a reason why you're here, and if anyone can find it out, she can."

"That reminds me," said Cindy, "Where exactly IS here anyway? I kept forgetting to ask..."

"Oh, right! This is the Fey Realm. The Great Goddess Farore shaped it in the image of the mortal world...your world. I wouldn't say it looks just like it, but all the geography is basically the same. This island is Fey Village, the Fey equivalent of your world's Outset Island. Although...I suppose you don't know what that is?"

"Actually I do. I know the names of a lot of the islands in the mortal world. I must be from there...but I don't know which island," said Cindy.

"Oh I see...that makes sense I guess." Leaf went on, "Among other things, this realm serves as a place for Her to observe the mortal realm without interfering, as her mere presence would have effects on your world uncalculable by any save Her. Even the act of the Great Goddesses leaving had an effect so profound it has shaped the near entirety of your world's history, such is their power...but that's quite enough on that subject. You must have come here for a reason, and lost your memory for one too-maybe even the same one! And if anyone can see that reason other than Great Goddess Farore herself, it's the First Honored Fairy."

"Sounds great," said Cindy, "but...just who is this 'First Honored Fairy'?"

It was Ciela who answered, for the conversation had gotten her and Neri's attention some time ago. "The phrase "Honored Fairy" has special meaning for the Fey Folk Cindy. Most fairies cannot reach the mortal realm at all, limited to only projecting an extremely weak and cherubic image of their magical power-the normal fairies that most mortals know. The Great Fairies and the Fairy Queen are much more powerful, granted magical abilities by Farore Herself and so are able to move freely between the mortal and fey realms and retain all their powers. These titles form three of the four parts of the...for lack of a better phrase, fairy social hierarchy. The fourth is what we three are-Honored Fairy, a step above a regular fairy and below a Great Fairy. We are also able to move between the mortal and fey realms, but we lose nearly all our magic when we go to your world. The First Honored Fairy was the very first of the normal fairies to recieve this privilege."

"I gotta be honest," said Leaf, "most fairies avoid her. She was always...a little kooky, and when she returned from her first trip to the mortal world, she hadn't mellowed one bit. But her powers have grown a lot from those days...and it's made her even kookier. No fairy is sure which caused which."

"That's all right," said Cindy, "I think I can manage."

"Still...we really should go with her, to explain things..." said Neri. Cindy nodded, and the three sisters guided her to the house on the far side of the island, near the large beach. The four of them entered, and found the First Honored Fairy, sitting in a rocking chair with her back to them. "Um...? Miss First Honored Fairy...?" said Neri.

The chair's rocking stopped with impressive suddenness. A little girl fairy, with similar pigmentation to Neri's, the most wild and unkempt hair Cindy suspected she'd ever seen even before she'd lost her memories, and an ecstatic smile that seemed magically fused to her face. "HEY! Neri, Leaf, Ciela, you guys! How long has it been! And...LOOK! Oh my Farore, is that a mortal?! What in the name of the sacred you-know-whats is she DOING here?!" She said all this in such a rapid and bubbly voice that Cindy almost didn't follow it all, but the fairy sisters were evidently used to it.

"...Hello Navi," said Leaf, smiling weakly, "that's sort of why we're here, we were hoping you could tell us why she might have been brought here."

"Hmm...yeah, that is a stumper huh? Why would a mortal be in the Fey realm..." Navi said as she put a finger to her lips in an exaggerated thinking pose, "well...I can think of two possible ways for a mortal to be here. First, she could've found a way in on her own somehow. But...there's almost no way that's what's happened, because the only way is through the First Wellspring, and she'd have to know what it is, then where it is, then what it's used for, and there's no way the Fairy Queen would allow any of that! Second, she'd have to have the Fairy Queen's permission, and be taken to the First Wellspring by her, but there's even more no way that would ever happen..."

An instant later, Navi gave a louder gasp than Cindy thought possible, and resumed, "Unless...ohmigosh. Ohmigoshohmigoshohmigosh!"

"So, er...does that mean you know why she's here?" said Ciela.

"Wait, but if...if I'm right, then why doesn't...uuh...uuuuuuuuuuuh..." suddenly, Navi looked like she was in a very deep trance. A second later, she snapped out of it as though it hadn't even happened. "Oh...I'm sorry," she said, her smile decreasing to half as wide as usual. "I really, really sympathize with you a lot Cindy...you see...I know what it's like to lose something precious to you. Not...memories, exactly, but yeah. I...never told anyone this, not even you three girls...I was...too ashamed."

Ciela and Neri stood motionless, their mouths agape, but Leaf only laughed. "You? Ashamed? You're not usually this funny Navi..." said Leaf, before noticing her smile was gone and was now a neutral expression at best, "Oh Farore...you're not kidding? But then...what are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry...that's a story for another day. But as I was saying...LISTEN! ...Sorry, it's the Fairy Tourrettes. It's why I can't usually stop smiling, ever since...oh Farore, there I go again. Speaking of Farore, I'm sorry, but...I can't tell you why you're here Cindy. Farore just said she'd personally melt my wings off if I spilled the magic beans. But...she did say that if you have a problem with this, you'll just have to take it up with her personally. She also told me that it was okay to tell you how to reach her."

The sisters' mouths were even wider now. "You don't mean-" said Ciela, but Navi cut her off. "She also said to tell you three that the wing melting thing applies to you three too, and that it'll apply to ever Fairy in the realm just as soon as she spreads the word, which she's had time to do by now. We can give her whatever other help we can, though. Including telling you how you can reach Farore in person."

Cindy's eyes suddenly hardened with determination. "Tell me. Because I DO have a problem with it. A BIG problem. It sounds like she's the reason I lost my memory in the first place! And then she says everyone in her whole universe is not allowed to tell me why...and then she's going to actually TAUNT me about it?! I don't think ANY Goddess deserves to be called Great who is willing to be so cruel, and I'll do whatever it takes to give her that piece of my mind...and take back the pieces she already has!"

All four of the fairies drew back in shock, quaking in fear as though they thought Farore would smite the entire island at this. A full two minutes passed, but when no smiting occurred, they finally recovered. "All right," said Ciela. "Navi, no offense, but you talk really fast, so I think I should tell her." When Navi nodded, she went on. "There is a structure in your version of the Great Sea known as the Tower of the Gods. There is another tower like it here, called the Tower of Farore. At the top, there is a great bell which is the only method to summon Farore in physical form. However...the tower is currently beneath the waves in an impenetrable state. To summon Farore, you must first summon the tower...and the only way to do that is to obtain the Great Fairy Sword and thrust it into a pedestal on each of the three Fairy Triangle Islands. The sword is enshrined in the woods at the top of this island, but once you get that, you'll need three Flames of Farore to bring it to full power. Once you get the Sleeping Sword from Fairy Hollow, we'll send you to the island the first Flame is on. You following well enough?"

"I think so," said Cindy. "Well, I'd better get going." And with that, she left, heading toward Fairy Hollow at the top of the island.


	4. Chapter 3--Good To Be Back

The Legend of Zelda: The Four Sacred Winds

Book Two-The Hero of Life, Chapter III: Good To Be Back

The journey to the Fairy Hollow was suspiciously uneventful. Cindy was on high guard-by the time she'd reached the entranced, she'd realized that trash talking a Golden Goddess was probably very high on the list of all possible worst things anyone could possibly do. Even so, as she advanced deeper in, she met no resistance at all, even when she reached the pedestal holding the Sleeping Sword. There was a sign next to it, and oddly enough, it was in Hylian. It read "Beware, mortal. Should you seek to awaken the Sleeping Sword, you will not leave as easily as you entered."

"Well, if something as simple as THAT was gonna stop me, I'd pretty much deserve to never get my memories back," said Cindy, removing the sword. The item get pose came, along with the words "You got the Sleeping Sword! Untold power lies dormant in this blade." While she did not doubt this was so, Cindy noted that for now, it looked quite ordinary. The next moment, she heard a din of rustling noises-and saw that the trees of the hollow had moved, closing about the clearing, allowing passage in maybe three places. She picked one of them at random, headed through-and promptly found her self back at the pedestal clearing. "So...it's to be a maze, it it?" she said. She'd heard about this sort of puzzle before-from where, she didn't know, but she did know that there would be a series of fork, and only one correct path in each of them.

Unfortunately, there was nothing, no music or visual cue to provide a clue to which was the right path. Eventually, she reached the final fork through nothing more than trial and error. She dashed through the exit...

And was promptly back at the pedestal clearing again. "What?!" said Cindy, startled, "That's not how it's supposed to work!"

"Hee hee hee! You'll find that very little works how it's supposed to in your view in the Fey Realm, mortal." The voice was very close by, but Cindy could not track the source-that is, until she noticed her shadow getting larger, expanding and eventually breaking off from her entirely. It formed into a shape mirroring hers, but only for a few seconds before becoming an amorphous, dark blob...its only feature other than this revealing itself as a large eye. "If you reeeally want out...keep up if you can!" It floated off at a fast pace through one of the forks.

It led her on quite the chase, but never got too fast for Cindy to lose track of it...almost as though it wanted her to follow. Eventually, she emerged into another clearing, much larger than the pedestal clearing. At the center was a colossal statue bearing a spear and tower shield. "Haha! Gotcha!" said the eye blob, "It's true what they say...mortals are soooo stupid." With that, it merged with the statue-which sprang to life, the blob's eye appearing on its forehead. "Your quest ends here..." said the statue, "alongside your pitiful existence! DIE!"

Cindy heard the words "Invincible Forest Sentinel: Gigarmos" as the statue advanced on her. It could do so only very slowly, but the fact that its title included the word "invincible" worried her. She reasoned that the blob was not invincible, just the statue, but she had no weapons or equipment save the Sleeping Sword. How would she ever reach the eye? As she dodged a deliberate spear thrust, she noticed the thing's tower shield was the size of an actual tower-reaching above even the statue's head. If she could somehow climb it-

As she looked closer, she realized she could-it wouldn't even be that tricky, there were so many hand and footholds etched into it that it must've been designed for that purpose. Cindy gritted her teeth-clearly this thing was the Goddess Farore's first test for her. Cindy intended to send a message through this battle-and what she had in mind was not one of weakness. She rushed forward, dodging another spear thrust on the way, and began to climb. Right at the start of the climb, stone spears of a more normal size popped out of various places in her path. They did so in unison, however, so they were simple to avoid. She reached the top, and there was just enough room to stand. She spotted the eye, which seemed to have no idea where she'd gone. She leaped to the top of the head and stabbed the eye mightily. It didn't seem to be enough, so she withdrew it and stabbed several more times. After the third of these, the statue's head flailed wildly, bucking her off easily-but a large flower sprouted up where she landed, cushioning her fall for no damage.

The pupil of the eye flailed equally wild, spinning round and round until finally stopping, and looking at Cindy angrily. "You've got quite a lot of fight in you for a mortal," said the statue, which was really just the blob using another voice, "but if you think you have enough, think again!" The tower shield the statue carried shattered-and the debris, magically animated, was headed right for Cindy. However, the flower that had broken her fall had not vanished after, and she noticed that there was now another, slightly taller one nearby. She jumped to it, and another one, taller still, sprouted in jumping distance. She jumped to it-and was immediately hit with the force of the debris cloud, knocking her off. Another flower broke her fall, but the debris itself had done damage. Cindy started working her way up once more, this time keeping her eyes peeled for the debri between jumps. Eventually, she reached a platform flower high enough to reach the top of the statue. It was too far away, but still more platforms appeared, equally tall, until she could at least get on. She stabbed the eye repeatedly once more, and it shook her off as it became dazed again. However, it was still dazed at this point, and the flower that caught Cindy was different this time. It slowly drew backwards and tensed. It's like a slingshot, Cindy realized, and I'm the slingshot seed! She braced herself and readied the Sleeping Sword. When she was launched, she was right on target, totally impaling the eye.

"YEEEOUZA!" it said, separating from the statue and reforming into the blob. The statue became inert. "Since WHEN do you mortals have the power to fight like THAT?!" said the blob. "Well, screw you very much. I'm blowing this seafood stand." It vanished with a poof and a parting shot, "SPOILSPORT!" A Heart Container floated down from where it had vanished, and a warp portal appeared near the container. She picked up the container, doing an item get pose with different fanfare, and hearing the words that explained what it was. Then, she stepped into the warp.

It dropped her off outside the 3 Fairy Sisters' house. "Congratulations!" said Ciela, with similar statements from Leaf and Neri, followed by startled gasps...for Cindy had collapsed. In her dream, she saw the image of Farore. "Brave child...you are angry with me," she said, her voice overpowering any chance of Cindy's reply, "and you are right to be. But something has gone wrong. The test is not proceeding as it was meant to. It is far too dangerous for you to continue without your memory. When you awake, it will have returned. Now...listen carefully. An evil force has intruded on-what? No...stop! What is happening...no! AIYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Mila awoke, and was Mila again. "What happened?!" said Leaf.

"You just...passed out suddenly..." said Neri.

"And you were having one heck of a nightmare from the looks of it," said Ciela.

Mila told them all about the dream Farore had sent-and when she got to the end, they recoiled in shock-it seemed to be becoming a habit for them. "Your memory's back...thank goodness. I guess that means the wing melting stuff is null and void," said Ciela, "but what in the name of the sacred You-Know-What could possibly HURT a Golden Goddess like that?!"

"I don't know for sure," said Mila, "but I think it has something to do with this...black eye-blob thing that took control of the statue guardian in Fairy Hollow."

"Yeah, that's the best lead we have," said Leaf, "but whatever is causing it, it doesn't look like Farore is in any position to come to us for help...you'll have to go to her. I think that under these circumstances, Farore won't mind us giving you some...usually forbidden help. Our magic isn't strong enough for fighting, but we can send you to the island of the location of the first flame instantly, and both others after that. Normally you're supposed to find clues and figure out yourself where it is, but it's looking like we can't waste any time." The three of them formed a triangle around her, going into the prayer pose that all fairy magic relied on. A ray of light shot out from each of them, forming a triangle properly that then became a warp. Mila let it take her, and landed on Dragon Roost Island. She was surrounded by fairies. They were similar to those she'd met already, except for their beaks. "Welcome to Fairy Roost Island," said the tallest one...and a magic chain shot out from him as well as several other fairies, binding her. "Wha...what is the meaning of this?!" said Mila, glaring at the tall leader fairy with her now patent-pending dagger eyes.

"Simple-you cheated. You arrived on this island by improper means, and I see that you also have your memory back as well. We are taking you into custody to await Farore's judgment."

"Farore isn't in a very good condition to be judging at the moment," said Mila, then related her dream for the second time. The now usual shock greeted this, followed by murmurs of disbelief. "Well, I believe her," said one of the fairies who was not binding Mila, stepping forward.

"Ah, Prince Faemali, my son," said the leader, "on what evidence?"

"Not minutes ago...I felt a shadow of evil fall on the Tower of Farore. It was not large enough to fall totally over it, far from it, but it grows by the second. My evil sense is well known for never being wrong, as you know father. The mortal's story matches up."

"Very well," said the leader, "we shall release her."

"No...not yet," said Faemali, "The situation is dire indeed, but I find it hard to believe this one is a possible solution to what is now a Fairy problem. She may hold the Sleeping Sword, but even that is pitiful compared to any power that can do a Golden Goddess ill...and being a mortal, and a girl, she is frail. We should confiscate the sword and send her back to the mortal realm, for her own safety."

"Now wait just a minute!" said Mila, "I admit, I have no idea how I would hurt something that can hurt Farore, but not giving me any chance to figure something out is more than a little unfair. I will NOT allow anyone to tell me to go back to the kitchen or whatever while the big, strong men take care of business. Not any of you, not Farore, and definitely not whatever's hurting her, and anyone who tries will find the wrong end of the Sleeping Sword pointed at them."

"Huh," said Faemali, "wow. You're a really interesting mortal...for a girl. I believe that you'd stand up to anyone, even if it meant almost certain death...but if you fight like a girl, there won't be any 'almost' about it. I claim the right of trial by combat against the girl."

To the surprise of everyone present, Mila grinned. "Boy, you have no idea what you've just done. You tell me to go back to the kitchen, you tell me I probably fight like a girl and don't mean it in a good way...and then you actually ask me to fight you? I'm gonna enjoy every second of shutting your fat beak."


End file.
